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Wellbeing โค๏ธ

Take care and prevent an activist burnout
4 min read
Last update: Feb 15, 2023
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In this chapter, we explain how prevent burning out by taking care of yourself and others. We discuss group wellbeing, action wellbeing and self-help.

๐Ÿ†˜ Need help now? Check out Wellbeing Hotlines

Group wellbeing

Articles about wellbeing practices that you can implement as a group:

Three goats taking care of each other

Together, we are more resilient, by Joppe | Generated using Dall-e

Action wellbeing

Articles about wellbeing practices that you can implement during your actions:

  • ๐Ÿ‘‰ Basics of action wellbeing (does not exist yet)

  • ๐Ÿฉบ Riot medicine

  • โ˜ฎ๏ธ De-escalation (available soon!)

An elephant holding a first aid kit

A caring elephant with a first aid kit, by Joppe | Generated using Dall-e

Self-help

Articles for individuals that want to take care of their own wellbeing:

Special publications

Articles that have been written to cover special issues that are currently relevant (also make sure to check out campaigns that we support):

Q&A

Why is wellbeing important?

This chapter is meant as a guide on how to safeguard the wellbeing of activists. In the process of trying to make a change, you might forget about your own wellbeing. You will learn how why the wellbeing of you and your fellow change-makers is vital for the long term effectiveness of your movement.

Many activists struggle with their mental and physical health, or see how the wellbeing of fellow change-makers is affected by activism. You might experience stress because you feel your contributions do not create any significant change. You might feel disappointed with yourself for not doing enough, or you feel helpless because others are not doing enough. You might fear being infiltrated by police or oppositional activists groups, and are not sure anymore who to trust.

This chapter is about acknowledging those difficulties and providing help for those who need it. In addition, we will talk about how to prevent mental and physical health issues. As so well put by Hรฅkan Geijer: โ€œBe gentle with each other so we can be dangerous together.โ€

Improve this page

You can contribute: Whatever your experiences as activist are, they are valid and deserve to be heard. We want to provide the opportunity for people all over the world to share exchange their experiences. This way we can learn from each other and find comfort in our welcoming community.

Please make sure to treat each other with respect and dignity. You are free to share your experiences anonymously, if that makes you feel more comfortable. Find out more about how to contribute.

Focus

  • Write about topics that lots of people have questions about:

    • eco/climate anxiety, climate depression

    • activist burnout

    • activism fatigue

  • Collect the most valuable resources on climate anxiety

  • Topics not covered a lot yet: Culture, Spirituality, Community

  • Make wellbeing guides more science-based (perhaps interview psychologists that have experience with activism?)

Search keywords

Search keywords

Monthly global searches*

Relevancy

wellbeing activism

0

high

activist burnout

260

high

activism burnout

180

high

climate anxiety

4.4K

high

eco anxiety

5.4K

high

climate depression

480

high

riot medicine

40

high

negative effects of activism

70

high

positive effects of activism

50

high

sustaining activism

0

high

keep activists motivated

0

high

How to deal with burnout

4.3K

low

protest medical kit

10

high

medic pepper sprayed

0

high

active listening

86.7K

low

self-care tools for activists

40

high

mental health resources for activists

10

high

activism fatigue

110

high

*According to Semrush

External resources

Spirituality and Community Building

Diversity & inclusivity

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